Missouri governor signs firefighter cancer bill

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Thursday signed a bill that creates a voluntary cancer benefits pool for firefighters who get cancer.

S.B. 45, which passed the state Senate 30 to 2 in April and unanimously by the House of Representatives in May, adds new language to the state’s firefighter presumption bill establishing a “voluntary firefighter cancer benefits pool,” stating that the pool shall provide the minimum benefits specified by an established board of trustees of the pool to covered individuals, based on the award level of cancer at the time of diagnosis, after the employer becomes a participant.

The law includes a number of stipulations on benefits, including that the firefighter must have last been assigned to hazardous duty within the previous 15 years and is not 70 years of age or older at the time of a cancer diagnosis.

It states that a payment may be made from the pool to a covered individual for up to $25,000 for rehabilitative or vocational training, and employment services and educational training related to the cancer diagnosis, and up to $10,000 if the covered individual incurs cosmetic disfigurement costs resulting from cancer.

The bill also states that if the cancer is diagnosed as terminal cancer, the firefighter may receive a lump-sum payment of $25,000 as an accelerated payment toward the benefits due.